Description:
Lions are the second largest of the big cats (only the tiger is bigger) and the only ones in which the males have a mane. Males can grow up to 1.2m at the shoulder and can weigh as much as 250kg. They are the only social big cat species, living in ‘prides’ of up to six related adult females and their young.
© Marcus Newton
Key facts
Population:
Lions have a severely fragmented population which is continuing to decline. It is estimated that lion populations have decreased by 36% over the past three generations.
Diet:
Habitat:
The African lion occupies a broad range of habitat, including forests, savannahs, shrublands and deserts. It is only absent from tropical rainforests and the interior of the Sahara Desert.
Range:
Lions have undergone the largest range declines of all carnivores, with about 85% of their historical range lost. African lions are extinct in North Africa.
Borana - Kenya © Emily Higgs
© Emily Higgs/Tusk
Zambia Carnivore Program
Threats
The main threat is continued habitat loss and fragmentation, by human development. Lions are also the victims of indiscriminate killing (primarily due to retaliatory or pre-emptive killing to protect human life and livestock) as well as depletion of prey.
Conservation:
Tusk partners with organisations working with communities to prevent the loss of livestock – e.g. with early alert systems – and to provide incentives and benefits for avoiding retaliatory killings. Snare removal from protected areas is also critical for protecting lions.
Learn more about the projects
The main threat is continued habitat loss and fragmentation, by human development. Lions are also the victims of indiscriminate killing (primarily due to retaliatory or pre-emptive killing to protect human life and livestock) as well as depletion of prey.
Conservation:
Tusk partners with organisations working with communities to prevent the loss of livestock – e.g. with early alert systems – and to provide incentives and benefits for avoiding retaliatory killings. Snare removal from protected areas is also critical for protecting lions.